Realization I was Unfit

I knew I had to do something. I had had it! I wanted to go back to my old weight and just feel healthy again. I was starting to feel like a simple glass of water would cause me to put on some pounds! I realized that my weight had been going up and I needed to get a hold of my diet and exercise bar in order to ensure that I not only gain control of my weight, but also lead a healthy lifestyle. I started reading up on what exercises are best for weight loss and healthy living. Across the board, the searches showed one common result: cardio! Any expert will tell you that walking and running are the best possible workouts, as they give the full body a workout.

Choosing the Treadmill

I was determined to get my workout going! I was highly motivated and decided I would walk every day; whether it is walking to school, to the local shop to do grocery shopping or just for a leisurely walk. After a week or two of walking in my neighborhood, I seemed to be losing my zeal. I couldn’t seem to push myself to get out and walk the hour that most dieticians recommend. This wasn’t working; I had to do something to push myself further. And so, I went and joined the local gym.

Once I got myself on the treadmill, there was no stopping me! When I got to see for myself how many kilometers I was running, and more importantly, I was able to keep track of how many calories I was burning, it was motivation like no other! I found myself going back day after day to push myself further and turn up the speed every time. You could run 3-4 kilometers within minutes and not have to worry about on goers staring at you or watching you fall in the middle of the road! That’s when the realization hit home: I needed to get myself a treadmill! To have such a machine at home was too great a luxury to miss out on. I set out researching which treadmill would best fit my budget and give me a good deal.

After buying the treadmill, I realized what a great bargain it had been! I no longer needed to spend my money on the gym every month; I had my complete workout plan under my roof. The best part is having one machine give you a complete workout, focusing on all the parts of the body. Not only could I work out whenever I wanted, my other family members could also workout too. We were on our way to becoming a healthier and a fitter family!

I could now prepare for a marathon, just by making sure to catch a run on the treadmill before heading out to school or work, or I could simply get on the treadmill and run away my stress! It felt so good. I couldn’t get my head around why I hadn’t bought myself a treadmill long before!

We all know about the positive effects that running has on our bodies, and yet, many people are just too lazy to budge from their seats or to wake up a little earlier every morning to go running. The amazing health benefits that running has cannot be attained by lazing around, you need to work for it to reap its glorious benefits. No pain, no gain, remember? That’s right! You have to sweat all those calories away with a nice, long, and refreshing run. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Getting healthy

Did you know that running everyday will keep the doctor away? (Wow, that actually rhymed!) But it’s true. The more active you are, the less likely you are to develop any type of physiological and psychological problems. Those who run regularly develop colon cancer a lot less than those who do not. And ladies, running can actually help reduce the chances of developing breast cancer by 30%!

By psychological, I do not mean that it can cure schizophrenia or something. However, what it can do is boost your memory and help reduce the chances of you ever getting dementia, and it might also help reduce the chances of Alzheimer’s.

Did you know that running actually increases your appetite? Actually, any form of intense exercise will increase your appetite, so now you have the excuse of eating all the spaghetti that you’ve been dying to eat without having to worry about gaining weight. You will burn it in the morning run anyway, so eat as much carbs as you can!

It will also help you squeeze back into those jeans that you bought last summer but could not wear because you had gained weight. Well, wait no more! You can now wear those jeans again and walk around town like you own that place!

Getting back in shape

You will build stronger bones. That’s right! Drinking milk isn’t the only way to get stronger bones anymore. And guess what? It might be just as effective, if not more, than drinking milk. Not only does running strengthen your muscles, but it also ensures that your bones stay strong and healthy all the way until your retirement and beyond.

The best way to start can be a simple treadmill workout this avoids the bad weather and its easy to make time for a quick 30 minute workout.

It will also help increase your stamina. An increase in stamina can be helpful in a lot of ways, and soon, with an increased stamina, you will find yourself enjoying the run and you will be able to run faster and for a longer period of time.

Once you realize that you can run for a longer period of time, you can actually run to your different destinations without even breaking a sweat. You will burn calories on your way to your destination. Trust me, running can actually do all that for you.

Still don’t believe me? Well, you should. Running really does have tremendous benefits for your health, and it is one of the easiest, most flexible, and perhaps the most enjoyable methods of exercise. Try it out, you will thank me later.

The ‘Uncool’ Parent

Being a mother is no easy task; it’s far from it. Your whole life revolves around your children and getting them what they need. Cooking, cleaning, teaching, counseling, and a whole line of other things that would probably be too much to even mention. At times, you feel like you are losing yourself in the midst of raising human beings who would soon contribute to the world at large. To top it off, at the end of the day, your kids think you are so outdated and ‘un-cool.’ I wasn’t going to allow it.

Being the ‘uncool’ mother was not acceptable to me. More than their appreciation, I wanted to relate to my children and have them remember me for being the mother who was ‘there’ for them, not just glued to the kitchen. I needed to have an exceptional relationship with my children, not just any mom-child relationship.

So, I started thinking- what could I do to get my children off their backs, away from technology, and the unhealthy lifestyles that we had become so accustomed to leading? I wasn’t going to allow myself to be reeled into their tech crazy worlds in order to get their attention and time. I needed to do something fun, exciting, and oh yes, active! That’s when it hit me! I needed to go running with my kids!

Running with my Children

At first, my kids were skeptical. I mean, come on, mom couldn’t possibly run with them or worse- out-run them. I challenged them to start running with me. I have to admit, initially, the incentives had to be there. I had to reward them by allowing them to get off doing chores for the day or offer other lucrative incentives. Yes, I admit, sometimes I had to put down my guard a bit!

We had to choose out the right outfits and head off to the neighborhood park twice a week. At the beginning, I was gasping and panting. It felt like my organs would fall out! My kids had me going. As the days went by, I came to a realization- it wasn’t the fact that I was becoming healthier and getting myself back into shape that was the bliss of running with my children, it was something far greater.

It was something that I had been craving for a long time and was unsure of how to get- it was the special bonding and connection I felt with my children, a mutual understanding on their level that had me mesmerized. The laughs, giggles, falls, and races. I didn’t need the latest tabs, phones, games, or gig to bond with my children. The simple act of running and challenging ourselves to reach greater heights was enough to create bridges that I never thought were possible to create with my kids. The wall that had started forming between us had now slowly started crumbling away.

The Decision to Run

Last month, I made the daring decision to run with my children. If you are a parent reading this, you are probably wondering what was I thinking! Children can have you go running in circles and possibly running for your life! Truth be told, running with my children has been a revealing activity for me on so many levels (no, it didn’t incite me to run away from my children, even though I can’t deny that at times, that does sound appealing!).

When I started realizing that my household was becoming a house of zombies, with my kids dazed away in their tech-savvy worlds, I realized that I had to get them to do some kind of activity. It had to be something doable, not too crazy, and most importantly, I wanted to be a part of it. Parachuting and skydiving might be taking it a bit too far, and we definitely couldn’t maintain that on a regular basis. So what did I finally come up? Yep, running!

Motivating Them

I was bursting internally with the joy of finally finding something active to do with my kids. An opportunity had arisen where I could bond with them and relate to them on their level. I was motivated, but getting my children motivated was a whole new ball game! So, how did I motivate them?

Incentive: kids need to be rewarded. The better and more beneficial the incentive, the more likely it is that your kid will want to do what they are asked. However, I made sure not to make incentives financial based. Incentives included allowing them to cut down on their chores for the week, getting extra dessert, allowing them to go to bed a little later on weekends, etc.

Talking to them: this may sound very basic, but it is far more powerful than you can imagine! Communication is the key to getting our expectations across. Sometimes, letting our kids know how much something means to us or how much some things hurt us, actually drives them to do things for us. No matter how mad our kids may get at us, they love us, and as children, want nothing more than to make us happy.

Making our runs meaningful: I made sure that with every run, we were laughing, giggling or just having a nice time under the sun. I brought along different energy drinks, sandwiches, and snacks for small picnics that I attempted to have after every run.

Race and let them win: try not to make it too obvious that you are letting them win! You can take a win once in a while, but let your child win and feel the success for the most part. Children love to win, no matter what it is. Let their self-esteem grow, bringing you greater delight!

Appreciate: I don’t mean incentives and rewards here. Remind them over and over how much they mean to you and how your world would have been incomplete without them. Appreciation is key.

For many, choosing running shoes may be no big deal, they just pick out whatever they think looks good or whatever they find on sale and run with them. However, many don’t realize the importance of foot health. It is on our 2 feet that we remain standing, and yet, many people take the health of their feet for granted. That said, we always have to be careful when choosing shoes for ourselves and for our children. Exercising is great and all, but you still need to look after the limbs that allow you to exercise in the first place.

Adult shoes

As someone who exercises and runs every morning, I make sure to look after my feet by buying the right type of shoes for myself. Although it may seem as though all the different trainers are okay for your feet, they are actually made specifically for different shapes of feet. You might think it’s silly, but it’s actually quite important in order to pick the perfect pair of shoes for you. Depending on the type of foot that you have, you could pick one of the 3 different types of trainers.

If you happen to have high arches, then a cushioned shoe, which has a soft midsole, will work for you. If you happen to have flat feet or low arches, then shoes with maximum support and motion-control features are recommended for you. Lastly, if your feet have a neutral arch, then shoes with the right balance of support and cushioning is the one for you.

Another important thing that you have to remember is that even adult feet grow. And so, measure your feet properly before you go to buy another pair of shoe and shop at the end of the day when your feet are swollen (yes, your feet swell throughout the day), as that will ensure a perfect fit.

Children shoes

Children shoes can be a little tricky to buy. I remember buying shoes for my children when I decided to take them running with me, it wasn’t easy. You need to buy the right type of shoe for your child so that his/her feet can grow properly. If the right type of shoes are not used, your child can develop foot deformities. For growing children, make sure to buy shoes with thick soles, no matter the material.

Thick soles will help protect your child’s feet, and they are useful in every weather, as there will be no risk of your child slipping on the snow or the rain again. One more thing, ensure that the sole is flexible, and this is important, as you have to make sure that your child is comfortable walking in his/her shoes.

One very important thing that you should keep in mind. Make sure that your children’s shoes do not have heels, as they will cause your child to walk on his/her toes, tightening the heel cords, and that is not a good thing.

That said, one should not get so lost in the details that it sucks all the fun out of it. Shoe shopping alone or with your kids could be a great, relaxing outing, so make the most of it. Happy shopping!

Running is the easiest, the most common, and perhaps, one of the most effective ways to stay fit and healthy. Hypothetically speaking, those reasons alone should be enough to get you up and running. However, we all know that that’s not always the case. I was no different just a year ago, until I started gaining weight and could not fit into my everyday clothes anymore. Buying bigger clothes for myself just broke my heart, and I could no longer fit into my most favorite dresses.

No, that was not enough to inspire me to start running. I was too depressed to do so, which lead me to start comfort eating, which made things go from bad to worse. It was when I started having difficulty walking to work, something that I never used to have problems with before, I suddenly snapped out of my depression and panicked. I realized that I need to take control of my life now before it got too late, which is exactly what I did. I began waking up earlier and going to jog every day before work. I started out with 30 minutes of jogging every day following the couch to 5 km plan, as I could not do more than that, but later, I started running for an hour a day, and the results were tremendous.

Reasons to run

My story, as well as many others’, is a testimony of the fact that running can actually save life. Not only did it bring me out of my depression, but it also made me feel good about myself. I can fit into my old clothes now, and what’s even better, is that I am now actually 2 sizes smaller than I was before I started gaining weight. Even if my story does not inspire you to run, the following reasons definitely should:

Running will boost your memory You might be thinking that that’s ridiculous, but it’s a fact, running does make your mind sharper and reduces symptoms of dementia.

Running helps you live longer. Why, you ask? Because running helps keep you fit, which in turn ensures that you have fewer disabilities in the future, which will actually allow you to stay fitter for a long period of time. This is something that you can reap benefits from forever, so don’t take running for granted.

It relaxes you. Don’t believe me? Try it out yourself! If you’ve been stressed the whole week this is a great way to de-stress. Regular running increases the serotonin levels in your brain, and it eventually remodels it entirely, calming you down and making you more resistant to stress.

It increases your stamina. I’m pretty sure you knew that. However, what you didn’t know is that workouts won’t always be a torture. Once your stamina starts increasing, you will actually start to enjoy running.

There are a million other reasons as to why you should start running. But the most important thing that you have to remember is that you’d be doing yourself a favor by running.